I wrote this blog post 10 years ago but didn't publish it. It's directed at incoming PhD students to the University of Washington Computer Science & Engineering department (now the Allen School). My sense from talking to recent CS undergrads is that I would have zero chance of being accepted to this program nowadays.
This is a list of things I didn't do, but should have. I graduated in 8 years, the last in my cohort. Follow these rules if you want to do better.
1. Start doing research right away, and spend most of your time on it. In fact, you should have done this already. It's even possible to arrive at the beginning of the summer and start working on a project then. The sooner you do this, the better, because doing research and writing a dissertation are the main bottleneck in grad school. Everything else is secondary.
2. For one, your classes don't matter. Well, they barely matter. If you haven't started doing research yet, I suppose extending a class project is one way to get started, but you're better off doing research to the detriment of your class performance. The classes outside your research area really don't matter. Do the minimum amount of work required to not embarrass yourself. And don't take too many classes at a time. Again, this is never the bottleneck.
3. Similarly, TAing does not matter. Do the minimum amount required. We have something called the Bob Bandes Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching. If you get this award, it's a sure sign that you're doing something wrong. I won it my first year, and it felt good but had zero lasting positive consequences.
4. No one knows what it really means to do research in computer science, in some deep sense. Don't get hung up on this, and just try to make cool stuff.
5. Don't work in your office, work in your group's lab, and socialize with those people. Hanging around smart people in your area is extremely important. Don't become friends with the rest of your cohort or your officemates.
6. If, after a few years, things aren't working out, LEAVE. There's no shame in leaving with a Master's. If you wait too long, though, there will be shame in leaving, and you'll be stuck in no man's land.
7. There are lots of things to do in Seattle. It's silly to say don't do them, but don't do something else that's really time consuming or difficult, as it will eat up your willpower. Getting a PhD takes all the willpower you have and then some.
8. Be married when you arrive, or be single and stay that way. Having tumultuous relationships is extremely distracting. Everyone I know who showed up married finished in 5 years. This advice may apply only to men.
Don't think you're too good for this advice. I thought that, too. I thought I could simultaneously do research, take martial arts classes 5 days a week, and play in an '80s cover band. I also thought I could work alone, in my office. If you think you're good, you can try breaking some of these rules, but be warned that everyone else in your position also has reason to think they're good, and I guarantee that the majority of you can't get away with breaking these rules.
Finally, remember that even if you are the worst, the outcome isn't that bad. You're not going to leave worse than you are now (though you'll be older), and you must be pretty good already if you got accepted. You won't be unemployed when you leave, and at worst you can get a job programming interesting things.
1. Start doing research right away, and spend most of your time on it. In fact, you should have done this already. It's even possible to arrive at the beginning of the summer and start working on a project then. The sooner you do this, the better, because doing research and writing a dissertation are the main bottleneck in grad school. Everything else is secondary.
2. For one, your classes don't matter. Well, they barely matter. If you haven't started doing research yet, I suppose extending a class project is one way to get started, but you're better off doing research to the detriment of your class performance. The classes outside your research area really don't matter. Do the minimum amount of work required to not embarrass yourself. And don't take too many classes at a time. Again, this is never the bottleneck.
3. Similarly, TAing does not matter. Do the minimum amount required. We have something called the Bob Bandes Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching. If you get this award, it's a sure sign that you're doing something wrong. I won it my first year, and it felt good but had zero lasting positive consequences.
4. No one knows what it really means to do research in computer science, in some deep sense. Don't get hung up on this, and just try to make cool stuff.
5. Don't work in your office, work in your group's lab, and socialize with those people. Hanging around smart people in your area is extremely important. Don't become friends with the rest of your cohort or your officemates.
6. If, after a few years, things aren't working out, LEAVE. There's no shame in leaving with a Master's. If you wait too long, though, there will be shame in leaving, and you'll be stuck in no man's land.
7. There are lots of things to do in Seattle. It's silly to say don't do them, but don't do something else that's really time consuming or difficult, as it will eat up your willpower. Getting a PhD takes all the willpower you have and then some.
8. Be married when you arrive, or be single and stay that way. Having tumultuous relationships is extremely distracting. Everyone I know who showed up married finished in 5 years. This advice may apply only to men.
Don't think you're too good for this advice. I thought that, too. I thought I could simultaneously do research, take martial arts classes 5 days a week, and play in an '80s cover band. I also thought I could work alone, in my office. If you think you're good, you can try breaking some of these rules, but be warned that everyone else in your position also has reason to think they're good, and I guarantee that the majority of you can't get away with breaking these rules.
Finally, remember that even if you are the worst, the outcome isn't that bad. You're not going to leave worse than you are now (though you'll be older), and you must be pretty good already if you got accepted. You won't be unemployed when you leave, and at worst you can get a job programming interesting things.
